The Purblind Chronicles
by Breeze of Summoners
Summary: Anita is not about to be taken down by black mages and soldiers, even if she is purblind... (Series of Short Stories) Part three up
1. Sightless Sanctuary

Sightless Sanctuary  
She is not scared of the attack, mainly because she can't see it.  
  
She could smell the destruction.  
Anita turned her head slightly toward the door, yet not completely to it. She wanted her ears to be in a better position to hear the noises. She sniffed the air.  
Burning flesh and fur came to her nostrils, as did blood. She heard screaming, and swords clashing. She knew the attackers were close to the house, but she was ready.  
Anita carefully went over the plan. She would lead the attackers down into the cellar, where she was told it was dark. She would close the door and allow the attackers to fumble in the darkness without their sight to aid them while she got out without trouble. Then she would escape the city.  
She knew that it was probably messy outside, and she would stumble. But she could not feel for the walls and the rubble if Burmecia was being attacked. She would just have to run.  
The pounding of feet came to Anita's extremely sensitive ears. They were coming! Slowly Anita rose from the wooden chair. She pushed it out until she heard it hit the wall. If she stumbled over it, she would know she was going the wrong way. But Anita had confidence in her sense of direction.  
Someone outside screamed, and burning fur and flesh suddenly came to Anita's nostrils. The smell of blood also came, and Anita understood immediately. Someone had tried to protect her home. The attackers had nailed them. Anita sighed. Sometimes she felt a little too protected. She certainly wasn't worth enough to be protected. Besides, she could take care of herself. That person should've escaped, or helped their own family, rather than try to help her. Now they were dead, and they had not accomplished anything they could've done.  
But it was not the right time to hold a funeral, or to mourn silently for the anonymous Burmecian. It was time to escape. Swiftly Anita felt her way to the cellar entrance. Then, realizing that the attackers may not come, she felt for something she could hold. She felt an item, and more feeling confirmed its identity to be a pan. Anita took it carefully into her hand. She then felt the cellar door with her other hand. She then began to bang the pan against the wood.  
Come on, she coaxed to the attackers with her noise. I'm in here.  
Anita stopped making noise and listened closely. When she heard nothing, she made more noise. Then she stopped as footsteps made themselves heard over the racket. She soon heard the front door being opened. She smelled something burn. Had they burned down the door? Anita shook her head to clear her senses, then sniffed the air once more. Yes, it had been burned.  
She heard footsteps from within the room next to the one she resided in. Quickly Anita felt for the doorway, and opened the cellar door. She stepped carefully onto the stairs. She then put one foot onto the stair in front of her. She pounded her feet wildly yet in order, making the illusion of someone running down the stairs. She then felt for the rail, and carefully swung her leg over it. She hopped onto the rail, then slid slightly to the side. Holding on carefully while still completely on the rail, she waited.  
Suddenly she heard footsteps charging down the stone stairs. She waited until they had all gone away from the door before she swung over the rail and slammed the door shut. She heard a startled gasp, and someone fell. She heard many people fall soon after.  
Anita ran down the stairs, then leapt the rest of the way down. She landed on smooth ground. She put her hand out in front of her, and felt the wall. She could scarcely believe she had leapt over all of her attackers, but now was not time to celebrate. They were stirring.  
Anita took a sharp right and began running. She knew the way.  
"That way!" someone in the room shouted.  
Other footsteps soon started, and Anita knew she was being chased. But suddenly she took a sharp turn. She heard the footsteps being replaced by someone crashing into the barrels Anita had avoided.  
Anita had made this little maze on her own when bored. She never knew she'd be using it to her advantage. She weaved perfectly between the rubble she had randomly placed, and felt satisfaction when her pursuers crashed. After two minutes she knew she was getting closer to the exit.  
She suddenly heard a strange noise. She couldn't identify it, but then heat suddenly whizzed by her and crashed into something. The smell of fire came to Anita's nostrils, but she kept running. If there were mages, she could only trick them too.  
Anita soon held out her hands, and she pushed open a knobless door. The smell of destruction welcomed her as she felt the rainfall on her. She had made it outside! Now she had to get out of Burmecia.  
Anita took a sharp right and began running with her hand tracing the wall. Soon the wall left her, and she took another right. She began running again, and soon tripped over something on the ground. She fell roughly to the ground, and heat whizzed over her. Anita rose, and soon she heard the strange noise she had heard before. She now knew what it was, and dodged the fire that she understood had sped toward her. She began running again, knowing enough running would lead her to the gates.  
Anita tripped once again, but the thing she tripped over was soft, and it smelled. Anita felt it, and she felt fur. It was a Burmecian. She frowned, wondering whom it was. She would've sniffed the body to try and identify it, but she heard the footsteps of pursuers. She had to escape, not mourn. She quickly rose, and suddenly heard more footsteps. She ran again, but her direction was off and she collided with a building. She backed up, and then felt something slice into her arm. She yelped and punched randomly. She felt flesh, then felt it leave. Something hit the ground with a thud. The smell of blood came to Anita, and she felt something trickle down her arm.  
Anita turned to the right once more and began running. The footsteps followed. She then heard a spell discharged, and she dodged, only to stumble over another soft body and fall. She rolled around a bit, then stopped. She scampered to her feet, and used the footsteps she heard to figure out which way to go.  
Someone screamed, and Anita heard the footsteps head in the direction it came from. Relieved, Anita sniffed the air. The smell of blood was extremely close, but so was burning flesh. She used this to dodge another body. She kept running, feet pounding against the ground, and her breaths coming out in steady flows despite her run. Running was not an everyday activity for her, but it didn't mean she wasn't good at it.  
Anita tripped once again, and rolled onto her back. She began to rise, but she suddenly heard footsteps. She heard metal scrape against something. Then she felt something sharp and cold against her nose. Anita became stiff. It had to be a blade. It could be nothing else. Anita wanted to sniff the air, but then she knew she'd cut her nose. She would have to stay still and not try to figure out the identity of her attacker, despite her great discomfort at doing this.  
Not nervous, Anita waited quietly for death to come.  
It never came. The blade moved from Anita's nose to the bottom of her snout. Her head was titled upward, and Anita had a feeling that someone was watching her. She sniffed the air, and detected no signs of wounds, except her own blood. The person was completely healthy. The blade pushed against the bottom of her snout, and Anita wondered why the person dallied. Weren't they going to kill her?  
The blade moved away, and Anita heard someone move closer. She stayed still. She heard something softly hit the ground. She automatically moved her head toward the sound. Anita thought she felt a rush of wind. Then, flesh touched her nose. She sniffed automatically, and caught the scent of a human. Who?  
The flesh moved, and Anita felt her snout being traced with a single finger. She could feel fabric against her snout. She stayed completely still. The finger soon reached her nose, and she sniffed it. It then moved away, and so did the human she knew was before her. Anita felt someone grab her thighs, and pull her roughly to her feet. Anita was then spun around and shoved in the direction she had been previously running.  
"Go," said a voice. It was feminine, cold, and hard. "Go now, before I change my mind."  
She was being let go? Anita could scarcely believe it. She turned in the direction of the voice and did her best curtsy.  
"Thank you, kind miss," Anita said quickly.  
She then turned around and ran. She heard the human walk in the opposite direction. After a few minutes, though, other footsteps headed in her direction. She heard a spell discharge, and moved to dodge it. She tripped over rubble and crashed to the ground. Not paying close attention, Anita scampered to her feet and began to run again.  
Something hot slammed into her back and sent her flying forward. She smelled burning fabric and fur. Soon she felt extreme pain, and she smelled burning flesh. Anita screamed, and soon hit the ground with a crash.  
She didn't stay there. She instead rolled, rolling around on the wet ground to soothe the burn. She bumped into something hard. She rolled the other way, then rose to her feet. She felt sharp pain in her arm suddenly, but instead of fighting, she ran away from the blade causing the pain and in the direction she knew the gates were in.  
Someone tackled her roughly to the ground. Anita rolled onto her back and kicked outward. She heard someone fall, and metal clanged against the ground. Realizing she was in grave danger, Anita knew she would have to divert her run. She rose to her feet and sniffed for fire. She caught the scent, and ran in the direction of it. The footsteps followed.  
Soon heat came to Anita. She stopped moving and felt for an opening within the fire, not wincing when the fire flickered on her flesh. She soon found an opening. She fell to her hands and knees and crawled. She soon felt a wall, but she did not feel fire. She rose to her feet and felt her way to a doorway. She entered nervously, smoke filling her nostrils. She fumbled about the unknown house, until she felt something soft. She grabbed it, and recognized the material as a blanket. Satisfied, she carefully got out of the burning house.  
It took her a few minutes to realize that the house should not be burning in a city that always had rain. She frowned, confused, but chose to put it aside. It was most likely the mages. Maybe they had special fire.  
Having come out of the building and away from the fire, Anita let out a scream and waved the blanket about. She heard footsteps, and identified them as antagonists. Slowly she put herself in front of the blanket and put it behind her. She didn't know if it would work, but she could only try.  
The footsteps stopped.  
"I don't know," someone said. "It could be a trap."  
"Just rush forward, kill her, and move out of the way," another said.  
The footsteps came again in a rush. When they were inches away, Anita rushed out of the way, dropping the blanket. She soon heard yelps, and burning fabric and flesh came to her nostrils. How someone could fall for such a trick Anita didn't know, but it had worked. Relieved, she felt her way to the main street. She stepped out into the street and sniffed the air while listening. She wanted to be sure no one was around before she began running.  
No one seemed to be around. Anita began to run in the direction that she had memorized the gates would be in. Her feet were the only footsteps that she heard. She ran quickly, panting, the pain she once felt not noticed.  
"KILL!"  
The sudden shout startled Anita, making her stumble and fall. Heat whizzed over her head. She slammed into the ground, and just managed to stop herself from rising.  
"KILL!"  
Don't move, she told herself in her mind. Play dead.  
She allowed herself to be limp. She kept her eyes open, since they didn't focus or work and would help her with her death look. She kept herself from breathing, and heard the footsteps come.  
"KILL!"  
The shout was right above her, but Anita didn't allow herself to respond. Her ears twitched, however, and her heart skipped a beat. Would the killing beast notice the twitch?  
Apparently it hadn't, or it had thought it was the wind. The footsteps headed in a different direction. She then heard it shout kill while discharging a spell. A scream pierced the air and Anita heard someone fall. Another Burmecian dead. Anita's heart ached as she heard the scream.  
Anita began to breathe again, but very softly so she wouldn't be heard. The killing beast's footsteps were becoming faint. Anita's heard pounded, and it sounded as if the world could hear it.  
The footsteps faded out and died. Anita waited a few more minutes, and for good reason, as a group - no doubt the one she had tricked - raced by. She waited until they were also faint, then rose slowly to her feet. She began to run again, and within a few minutes stumbled over someone.  
"Who's there?"  
The body was alive? Anita sniffed it curiously. She smelled blood and burned flesh.  
"Who are you? A dog?"  
"No," Anita muttered. "I-I'm sorry. I wish I could help you."  
"Don't worry about it," the Burmecian said, and Anita heard him shift. "Just get out."  
"Can you see me?" Anita asked.  
"No."  
Anita nodded. "It's all right. I can't see you either."  
"The killing beasts blinded you too?"  
"No. I was always like this. I'm used to it."  
The Burmecian took a shaky breath. "I know I'm going to die. Get out of here. The gates are close. If you've made it this far."  
Anita fumbled for the Burmecian's hand, and found it. She squeezed it.  
"I'm sorry," she said. "I send my blessings to the Great Dragon. May she accept you under my request and let you live in her kingdom."  
"Thank you," the Burmecian said, and Anita could hear a smile in his voice. "Now get out."  
Anita slowly released his hand. "Goodbye."  
Anita rose to her feet and turned around. She ran forward frantically. Her heart ached even more, now that she had met the Burmecian. She once again prayed for him, hoping that the Great Dragon will accept him without a single pause. He deserved it for being so kind as to talk to her.  
Anita heard more footsteps, but she kept running anyway. She was tired of diversions. She was sick of fighting. She just wanted to get out.  
A spell discharged, and Anita moved to dodge it. She crashed into something hard and thick. She fell to the ground, but she was actually relieved. The gate! She had finally reached the gate. Now if she could get through it alive, she would probably cry with relief.  
Anita rushed to her feet. She heard someone approach, and kicked outward. Her feet nailed the person and she heard them hit the ground. Someone else approached, and she punched high. She felt her fist hit flesh, and she heard feet stumble on the ground. Two bodies then clearly bumped into each other and fell. Anita listened for more footsteps, but none came. She turned around and felt for the gate. She found it, and felt her way to the opening. She rushed out it and kept running.  
Soft ground came under her feet, but Anita kept running. She heard someone rise behind her. "Should we chase her?" someone asked. "No," someone replied, and Anita recognized it as the person who had let her ago only a few minutes before. It was the same feminine voice, with its cold and hard tone. "Let her go. One blind rat isn't going to make a difference." "Yes, General. At your command," someone said.  
Anita heard the already faint footsteps fade away. She allowed herself to slow to a stop. She then fell to her knees, panting. She sniffed the air. The smell of destruction was being replaced with an odd smell. It smelled fresh, unlike the city. She could smell her own wounds, but other wounds - including the wounds of the city - had left. The fresh smell was similar to the smell of the greens she would eat. Were they related? Were they the same things?  
Was this the wilderness? Anita took a deep breath, both to gain her breath and to test the air. Fresh air filled her lungs, and when she exhaled she couldn't believe how refreshed she felt. Her heart still pounded, but this time it pounded from the shock of her feat. She had escaped! She had escaped from Burmecia on her own!  
No, Anita told herself firmly. That General let you go. Twice, in fact.  
Despite this thought, Anita couldn't help but feel self-satisfaction. She sniffed the air constantly, and rose to her feet to try and feel for anything restricting. She found nothing but air. Everything seemed so empty. No walls, no restrictions. Just nothing.  
It was nice, but Anita quickly brought herself to reality. She still remembered the tales the Dragon Warriors would tell her about the dangers of the wilderness. Of course, most of the tales could've been told to try and keep her within the city's safe walls, but Anita knew that they could be true. She had to get to someplace safe.  
Anita knelt down and felt the dirt. It was soft and easy to grab due to the rain. She lifted a large clump into her hand and held it to her nose. She smelled Burmecians immediately. She padded along low to the ground for a while, sniffing the ground she picked up like a dog. The Burmecian scent stayed strong. Anita lifted her head to get a sense of where to go. They had headed in that direction? Then it must be safe.  
Anita rose to her feet and began to run in the direction that the scent told her to go.  
  
--------- Ta da! Hehe, I just had to write this. Why? Two reasons, really: I thought it was a good idea, and I wanted to see if I could do it. I think it came out really nice! Oh, and I do hope you figured out that Anita is blind. =) Do you know what General let her escape? (you should!) Think a bit, make a guess, then read the answer after the copyright!  
  
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.  
  
The general who allowed Anita to escape is Beatrix. =) I felt it was something she'd do. 


	2. Visionless Visitor

Visionless Visitor  
She fears what she can't see, because the memories stay.  
  
Anita was happy she had listened to the boasting tales the Dragon Warriors had told when she was young. They had talked of the best ways to keep the vicious monsters they met away. Anita found herself applying these, screaming and waving her hands at a monster she couldn't even see, until she heard it walk away, feet pounding against the ground.  
Anita followed the scent of the Burmecians, running endlessly across the soft grasses. After a day full of running, the grasses became something she couldn't recognize. It felt grainy to her feet and hands, and when she sniffed it, some of the stuff got up her nose, making her sneeze. She couldn't identify it, but she could identify the smell of Burmecians on this odd stuff. So she kept running over the strange stuff.  
Within many hours, she heard a voice.  
"Stop."  
Anita came to a stop, hearing an odd accent within the voice. She sniffed the air, and the musty smell of plants came to her nostrils. She also detected a scent similar to a Burmecian's, but still different. Soon, she felt a hand on her arm - a furry hand. She sniffed it curiously.  
"Who are you?"  
"Anita," Anita replied. "I came from Burmecia."  
"Of course. Are others with you?"  
"Not that I know of," Anita answered.  
"I see." The voice paused. "I welcome you to Cleyra. I am the Sand Oracle Strea."  
Anita quickly matched scent to voice and name. "Pleasure to meet you."  
"Follow me to Cleyra, if you will."  
How am I supposed to follow? Anita thought.  
Anita heard Strea's footsteps fading, and she quickly followed the fading sound. Her back and arms ached from the grainy ground getting into the burns and slashes, but she still kept a good pace. Soon, however, she heard the roaring that had seemed so distant became louder. She felt a harsh wind blowing the grainy stuff into her face. She stopped moving.  
"Where are we going? There's a storm," Anita protested.  
She heard Strea stop walking, and heard him turn toward her.  
"Yes, yes, I know. The sandstorm protects Cleyra. It will protect you too," Strea said gently, as if talking to a five-year-old.  
"Protect? Sandstorm? What is a sandstorm?" Anita asked.  
"Why, a storm made of sand," Strea replied.  
"And what is sand?" Anita asked.  
"The stuff beneath your feet."  
"The stuff that is making my wounds ache? Sand is making me aggravated, not protecting me."  
"Do not worry, child. Once you get into Cleyra you can get help."  
Strea's footsteps began again, and Anita felt she could only follow. The roaring blocked out any other noises. She felt the - the sand blow into her and get into her eyes, nose and mouth. She closed her eyes to keep away the stinging pain, then began to sneeze. She certainly didn't feel protected at that moment. Strea's footsteps, however, clearly continued, and Anita tried her best to follow.  
Suddenly, the ground underneath Anita became less sandy and softer. The roaring wind seemed to be behind her, though wisps of wind still brought sand to her. Strea's footsteps kept on going upward, and Anita followed.  
"Soon we will reach the settlement," Strea assured her as they walked.  
Anita was trying to catch all the smells of the area, but the sand kept making her sneeze. She finally gave up, though it was against her will, and kept walking upward. After a few minutes, the roaring seemed to surround her, but it was faint. Sand no longer got stuck in her nose, and when she sniffed the air, she caught the scents of plants, what she assumed to be Cleyrans, and Burmecians. Her heart nearly leapt with joy. Burmecians were here!  
"Another?" a Cleyran voice said.  
"Yes," Strea said. "She's injured, not much though. Bad burn on her back though."  
Anita heard a sigh. "If only the Burmecians didn't favor such violence. They no doubt would've been spared."  
"Doubtful," Anita found herself blurting out. "We didn't do a thing to even provoke an attack. They just came in with their killing beasts."  
"Of course not, child," Strea said doubtfully, yet sweetly. "You didn't do anything, of course. But Burmecians in general have such violent ways that they no doubt caused the attack to come on them."  
"Are you saying we deserved the attack?" Anita asked, insulted.  
"No, no!" Strea said quickly. "I'm just -"  
Anita had already walked off, sniffing the air to locate Burmecians. She walked slowly and soon found herself faced with what she assumed to be stairs. She descended carefully, only to find the stairs weren't much. She soon found herself on flat ground. She sniffed the air, only to find the scents of the Burmecians to still be far. She began to wander, stumbling over things in her attempt to find her one kind.  
"Calm down. You're going no where quick."  
Anita heard footsteps, and soon furry flesh touched her nose. She sniffed it, and immediately smiled. She recognized the smell immediately.  
"Hello Din!" she said happily. "Glad to know you made it!"  
"Same to you! How you did I have no clue, but it's still nice to know!" Din said, and Anita heard the smile in her brother's voice. "I just got back from seeing the King to see who made it so far. Unfortunately, very few of us are here."  
"I suppose I can be added," Anita said.  
"How 'bout we go see the King again? He seems highly worried about Puck and I think seeing people is helping him get distracted," Din said. "Come! Let's go!"  
Din grabbed Anita's arm and began to lead her. Anita sniffed the air constantly, trying to match scents to locations, but they were going too fast. As they walked, Anita heard water splashing to her left, and she wondered how water got here. She could hear voices - Cleyran voices - talking pleasantly. Anita wondered how anyone could be at such peace after what she had gone through in Burmecia.  
"Ah, here we are!" Din said, letting go of Anita's arm.  
Anita walked forward nervously, hand out. She felt a smooth, curved glass-like surface. She carefully felt the indentations on the glass-like surface. She moved her hand until she felt air.  
"Is it a building?" Anita asked Din after sniffing the air to confirm his presence.  
"Yep!" Din said proudly. "It's the cathedral. The King's in there, along with the Cleyran High Priest and a really pretty harp."  
Carefully Anita began to walk forward, using the smooth glass-like structure to guide her. Her footsteps echoed softly within the chamber, as did Din's. Soon, the echoing stopped, and she assumed she was in a larger room. She stopped moving and sniffed the air. She caught three different scents, and one she recognized.  
"Hello m'lord," Anita said, doing her best curtsy. "It is good to know you are alive and well."  
Anita heard someone rise.  
"It is good to see you as well, Anita," the King said.  
"Who is this?" a Cleyran voice asked.  
"She is a civilian, and if you were to use your eyes properly, you would see that she is blind," the King said.  
Anita heard two gasps of surprise, and she heard Din chuckle softly behind her. Footsteps approached, and Anita felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She felt herself being turned around.  
"Tell the Cleyrans that I request a nice bed at the inn for you, and treatment for those wounds," the King said.  
The hand left, and automatically Anita spun about and curtseyed.  
"Thank you," she said.  
"Pleasure," the King said.  
"Come on, Ms. Over-Polite!" Din said teasingly, spinning Anita around. "How about we stop being polite and actually go to the inn?"  
"All right, all right," Anita said, smiling. "I'm coming!"  
"You better be, or I'll be dragging you!" Din said.  
"I think you'll be dragging me anyway," Anita pointed out as Din grabbed her arm and began to tug her along.  
"Well, if you'd move your feet we'd make more progress."  
"If you'd stop dragging me I'd be able to move my feet."  
"Oops." Din stopped moving with a laugh.  
Anita put her feet firmly on the ground. Din began to walk, and Anita quickly followed him. She memorized the path they took, using mostly smells, but also some direction. She heard Din open a door, and she swiftly followed.  
"The King of Burmecia requests a nice bed for Anita here," Din said.  
"All right," a Cleyran voice said. "Anita?"  
Anita stepped forward until she felt herself hit wood. She felt as if someone was staring at her.  
"Right this way," the Cleyran said, and Anita followed the footsteps she heard.  
Anita followed the footsteps until they died. She then walked a bit forward. She managed to brush by the Cleyran, and she felt something in front of her. She knelt down to feel it, and discovered something soft.  
"It's a bed, Anita," Din explained behind Anita.  
Anita carefully climbed onto the bed. She felt it carefully. It seemed soft and comfortable. She felt for the pillow, and quickly found it. Suddenly the exhaustion of having ran for hours on end came back to her. Yawning sleepily, Anita laid her head on the pillow and curled up. She fell asleep in minutes.  
  
Anita woke late the next day. It was around noon when she at last woke up due to a commotion outside. She rose, yawned, and carefully got out of the bed. Her back was stiff, and she felt it curiously. Her fingers felt rough bandages. When Anita felt her arms, she found bandages on her arms as well. Shrugging this off, Anita padded slowly and carefully out of the inn.  
"What's going on?" she asked, but no one answered. The commotion seemed to be too great.  
"Anita!"  
Anita recognized Din's voice through the noise.  
"What's going on?" Anita asked.  
"Some kid was attacked by an antlion," Din said with a snort. "Why they keep such a dangerous beast there I don't know. Anyway, I guess things are quieting down now. Sounds like the kid's out."  
Anita heard familiar voices.  
"Puck? Freya?" Anita guessed.  
"Oh, yes! I forgot to tell you! Freya came back, along with three friends. One of them is a killing beast, though. Anyway, Puck came back too, and supposedly Fratley's somewhere, though no one knows where."  
The commotion had ended, and Anita heard footsteps fading. She heard Puck's shouting, then suddenly a rush of wind as someone whizzed by. A sniff of the air confirmed the someone to be Puck. More footsteps then came. Anita padded forward a bit, sniffing the air.  
Something rammed into Anita, knocking her to the ground. The thing ran off, making the ground shake. Anita rose to a sitting position.  
"Are you all right?"  
"Oh brilliant, now what did Quina do?"  
Anita recognized the first voice, but not the second. She soon felt furry flesh against her nose. She sniffed it, and immediately recognized the scent.  
"Hello, Lady Freya," Anita said. "I'm all right. Just a little surprised."  
"The commotion?" Freya guessed.  
"Quite. It woke me up. A kid was attacked by an antlion?" Anita asked.  
"Yeah," said the unfamiliar voice.  
"Who are you?" Anita asked, turning her head in the direction of the voice and sniffing the air.  
"Let her sniff you, Zidane," Freya said.  
Anita felt the vibrations as someone fell to their knees. She felt flesh against her nose and she sniffed it. It smelled human, but at the same time it did not. There was a smell to it Anita could not recognize.  
"You have a curious smell, Zidane," Anita commented.  
"Huh?" Zidane asked.  
"You smell human, but at the same time you don't. Are you a demi?" Anita asked.  
"Last time I checked, no," Zidane said with clear confusion.  
"Oh," Anita said. "What was that thing that crashed into me?"  
"A Qu," Zidane replied, sounding disgusted. "A stupid Qu."  
Anita heard someone rise. She heard the scraping of claws against the sandy ground.  
"Shall we go?" Freya asked.  
"Yeah, I guess so," Zidane said, accompanied by someone rising. "See you around, erm."  
"Anita," Anita provided.  
"Oh yeah. Well, see you later!" Zidane said.  
Anita heard footsteps in the direction behind her.  
"Best wishes," Freya said.  
More footsteps faded away. Anita rose to her feet. She sniffed a bit and caught Din's scent nearby.  
"I wonder, where are they going?" Anita asked Din.  
"The Cathedral, I suppose," Din said. "Hey, where are you going?"  
"The Cathedral," Anita said simply.  
Carefully Anita walked the path she recalled taking when Din led her to the King. She held out her hand, and carefully shoved by people. Soon, she found herself feeling the material that made up the Cathedral. She heard voices from within it.  
"Doing so will help me," Anita heard Freya said.  
The soft music of a harp came to Anita's ears. Mesmerized by its beauty, Anita stayed where she was, leaning against the wall while listening to the lovely music. The soft tapping of feet came to Anita's ears.  
Then, suddenly, she heard a snap. The music stopped, as did the footsteps.  
"The strings have snapped," said a soft feminine voice. "A terrible omen this is."  
Anything else that may have been said was drowned out by a massive roar. Startled, Anita jumped to a rigid position. The roaring continued, and high winds came. Panicked Anita rushed to the right, only to trip over something. She slammed to the ground. The roaring made her ears ring, and she tried to hide her head under her arms.  
Then, suddenly, the roaring stopped. Only echoes of it remained in Anita's ears. The wind was gone suddenly as well. Around her Anita heard startled gasps.  
"The sandstorm is gone!"  
"We are being punished!"  
"What's going on?"  
"Help!"  
The shouts confused Anita further. The sandstorm was gone? They were being punished? Why was a person shouting "help"? What was going on anyway? Confused, Anita rose to her shaky feet. She sniffed the air, and detected nothing suspicious. Quickly she felt for the object she had tripped over, and used it to jog back to the Cathedral.  
". Someone is trying to invade Cleyra," Anita heard the King say as she came close.  
"I fear you may be right m'lord," a Cleyran voice said.  
"I only hope our enemies don't come up the trunk," the King moaned, and Anita heard his worry.  
Anita's blood ran cold, and her heart skipped a beat. Invasion? Enemies? What was going on? Confused, Anita sniffed the air again. The air still smelled sweet, with no danger. Footsteps came from within the Cathedral, and Anita felt a rush of air, and Zidane's scent came to Anita's nostrils.  
"Zidane, what is going on?" Anita asked.  
"I don't know," Zidane said, and Anita heard his footsteps stop. "The sandstorm's gone from breaking harp strings, and -"  
More footsteps came from the Cathedral. Anita recognized them as a Burmecian's footsteps, but before she could get a word, they were gone.  
"-And there goes Freya. Sorry, Anita, but I can't talk!" Zidane said, and Anita heard him leave.  
Now Anita was not only confused, but worried. She rushed down the path she understood led to the inn, but she constantly collided with confused Burmecians and Cleyrans, and they constantly bumped into her. At last, she stopped moving, exhausted from the constant collisions.  
"Din! Where are you?" Anita shouted, but she got no answer. "Din!"  
Still no answer. Anita sniffed the air frantically, but she couldn't smell her brother. She began to try and make it through the crowd that was forming, but she couldn't. No one would move.  
"DIN!" Anita screamed, and she heard frantic footsteps. When she held out a hand, she found the crowd to have suddenly dispersed. Relieved, Anita rushed forward, trying to get to the inn.  
"Hey, calm down!"  
Anita felt her arm being grabbed, and she kicked out without sniffing for the scent.  
"Relax, it's me! Dan!"  
Anita calmed down immediately. She felt her arm being released, and once again flesh was against her nose. She sniffed it, and recognized Dan's scent.  
"I'm sorry," Anita said. "But I can't find Din. Have you seen him?"  
"Afraid not," Dan said downheartedly.  
Immediately Anita sniffed the air. She faintly detected Din's scent, and automatically headed toward it. She soon tripped over stairs and fell to the ground. Soon, however, she felt someone lift her to her feet.  
"Hey, calm down," Din said gently. "What's wrong?"  
"What's going on?" Anita asked frantically.  
"I don't know," Dan admitted. "It's all too confusing." He paused. "Come, we're in the way."  
Anita followed Din's footsteps back to the inn. She heard Zidane and Freya's voices, but she didn't pay attention. She was too giddy and nervous. She heard footsteps head down the trunk and fade. She heard softer footsteps coming from the direction of the Cathedral.  
"Why are we all crowding about?" a voice asked, and Anita identified it as Puck.  
"Confusion, nervousness, and all the crap! Puck, aren't you nervous?" Dan asked.  
"No," Puck replied.  
"Brilliant," Dan muttered.  
That was when a high-pitched squeaking noise filled the air. Everyone was silent. Anita looked about with confusion. She heard more strange noises as the squeaking noise ended.  
"KILL!"  
Anita's heard nearly stopped with fear. She heard spells discharge, and people screamed. She heard metal scraping leather.  
"Anita, run. RUN!" Din shouted, shoving Anita to the side.  
Anita automatically ran, only to crash into something. It felt soft yet hard at the same time, and she fell over.  
"KILL!"  
The shout came from directly above her. Startled, Anita rolled to the side and to her feet. She then rushed forward, only to trip over raised ground and to the ground. Behind her, some turned around. She heard a spell fire, but it never hit her.  
Someone screamed above her, and someone slammed into her. The body rolled off her and to the ground. Anita sniffed the ground, and she smelled more than charred flesh and blood. She smelled Din.  
"DIN!" Anita screamed, rising into a sitting position and shaking the body beside her. "DIN!"  
The response she got was so soft only Anita could hear it.  
"Get out of here, now," Din whispered softly.  
Beneath her shaking hands, Anita felt Din's body go limp. She shook it again, screaming his name, but got no response. She stayed on the ground for a while, then suddenly scrambled to her feet and fled. She felt wetness around her eyes, but she didn't understand what it was. She kept running, and soon tripped over something soft.  
"KILL!"  
Something hot whizzed over Anita's fallen body and slammed into someone. The person screamed and fell. Anita lied still, playing dead. She heard footsteps.  
"KILL!"  
Suddenly something hot whizzed over Anita. The killing beast screamed, startling Anita. It then fell on top of her. Quickly Anita rolled away and to her feet.  
"You're alive?"  
The voice was shy and young, and Anita couldn't identify it. She sniffed the air, and she detected the scent of a killing beast - an alive one right in front of her.  
"Keep away from me," Anita snapped. "Don't hurt me!"  
"I-I won't hurt you. I-I'm not with the others," the young voice said nervously.  
It could've been true, but Anita didn't trust it. She turned around and fled. She could hear screams of pain, death, and confusion. The whole place was confusing. Anita kept running, not knowing where she was going. Soon she tripped over raised ground once more and fell.  
"What was that?"  
The voice was human, and Anita immediately kept herself still.  
"Look over there!"  
"It's a rat."  
"Is it alive?" Anita felt flesh hit her thigh.  
"It doesn't look wounded."  
"Hey! Leave her alone!"  
Anita immediately recognized Zidane's voice. She heard a spell discharge, and one of the humans cried out in pain. She then heard the other let out a gurgling sound after footsteps rushed toward it.  
"Hey, you okay?" Zidane asked.  
Anita rose to her shaky feet, nodding.  
"Yes," she managed to say.  
"Okay, good. Go find a place to hind, okay?" Zidane told her, and Anita heard footsteps leave her.  
More footsteps came and went. Anita felt for someplace to hide. She located using her fingers a bush and crawled into it. Nervously she curled up in the brush.  
Footsteps came and went constantly. Screams filled the air. Anita began to shake with nervousness. She heard voices from the Cathedral, but she understood nothing that was going on. After a while, the screams left, and she nervously got out of the brush.  
The high-pitched squeaking noise returned, and it came from everywhere. Highly confused, Anita began to run toward the inn once more. She tripped over many bodies in her extreme confusion. Soon, she didn't even know where she was going. She was running endlessly, in a panic.  
She heard a powerful roar from the sky. A huge wind came down on her, knocking her to the ground. She heard panicked cries. She then heard a haunting call, soon followed by Puck's voice.  
"Hey Fratley! GRAB HER!"  
Anita was given no time to think as someone suddenly grabbed her. Anita kicked out, panicked, and continued to struggle. She knew she was being carried, and suddenly she felt her feet leave the ground. She felt a bunch of brush and sticks. Behind her, she heard a rough explosion.  
Then, suddenly, she felt nothing but whoever held her. Behind her, the explosion was becoming louder and drowning out any screams that would normally be heard. Anita felt herself fall, and she struggled again. She tried to free herself, but soon she felt the grip on her tighten and she felt herself being pulled closer in an attempt to stop her struggles.  
"Calm down, you're safe," she heard a male voice mutter.  
She recognized the voice. She sniffed the air, and could scarcely believe it. She was falling with Sir Fratley and Prince Puck!  
Something exploded behind her, and suddenly extreme heat wrapped around Anita like a blanket. An explosion roared in her sensitive ears, terrifying her. She buried her face into what she assumed was Fratley's arm, trying to hide herself from the oblivion.  
"Ya sure we'll make it through this?" Puck asked, his voice barely heard over the noise.  
"Of course. I would never put you in danger, Lord Puck," Fratley said.  
"I'm not a Lord! Get that through your thick skull, Fratley!" Puck bellowed angrily.  
"I will try, Lord Puck," Fratley replied.  
"Great Dragon, help me," Puck moaned.  
Anita was starting to feel sick, and she felt as it she was fading away.  
"Am I dying?" Anita asked.  
"Nah, I doubt it," Puck replied. "After all, I'm riding on Fratley's shoulders and I feel fine. You're probably just not used to the heat."  
"You mean you've been through things worse than this?" Fratley asked, sounding interested. "You'll have to tell me!"  
"Oh Fratley," Puck moaned.  
Anita was feeling herself slowly fade away. She took a deep breath.  
"I can't be dying," she muttered.  
"You're not dying!" Puck shouted. "God, you'd think Fratley would be dying since he's the one holding us all."  
"Am I dying?" Fratley asked, though he sounded like he was joking.  
"Oh Fratley," Puck moaned. "Fratley, Fratley, Fratley."  
Whatever else may have been said was lost to Anita as she fell unconscious.  
  
------------- And here's another short story following Anita through the attack. I know, I know, I made Fratley kind of stupid, but he lost his memory, so I felt he would have a few "stupid" problems. But he's smart, don't worry =) Anyway, I feel "Sightless Sanctuary" was better but this one is longer so I guess they both have their flaws =) I hope you like this, and please review!  
  
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, events, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix. 


	3. Blind Traveler

Blind Traveler  
  
"-We lived through it all!"  
These were the first words to come to Anita when she gained consciousness. She felt solid, grainy ground beneath her. She bolted upright, only to find herself faced with pain in her chest from doing so. She sniffed the air, and the smells of Puck, Fratley, blood, and charred wood came to her.  
"Hello," Puck said gruffly. "So you lived too."  
"My chest hurts," Anita replied with a slight wince.  
"Broken ribs. I suffered a broken leg. And Puck suffered nothing, lucky bastard," Fratley explained, clearly in a bad mood.  
"Your shoulders gave me protection," Puck replied happily.  
Anita sniffed the ground. The smell of Burmecians was faint, but blood, charred wood, and death were not. Anita sniffed the air once more, ignoring the smells of Puck and Fratley. She immediately caught the scent of charred wood, blood, and death once more. What had happened? Anita jogged her memory. She quickly remembered the screaming, the exploding sound, and the drop.  
"What happened?" Anita asked, more to herself than to anyone else.  
"Cleyra went boom, to put it simply," Puck replied. "Queen Brahne used Odin to blow the place up. I think we're the only survivors-"  
"HUNGRY!"  
The shout startled Anita into scrambling to her feet. She sniffed the air, and an odd scent came to her. It was the same scent she had detected before something rammed into her.  
"Or maybe not," Puck was saying grimly. "Not a Qu!"  
The ground began to shake slightly. Anita backed away and sniffed the air. The odd scent was closer, and the ground vibrations seemed to be coming directly at her. She couldn't waste time. Anita turned around and ran.  
Anita heard the softer tap of footsteps behind her, but she didn't expect to feel sudden weight on her shoulders. She tried to adjust to it, but failed. She slammed into the ground, getting sand in her nose and mouth. She sneezed while the sudden weight left.  
"Relax! What'd ya run for?" Puck asked, and his voice was directly above Anita.  
The pain in Anita's chest had reached a crescendo due to the fall, and she didn't answer. The ground had stopped shaking.  
"You have yummy-yummies?" asked an odd voice.  
"No," Fratley replied.  
"Who are you, anyway?" Puck asked.  
"I Quina!" the odd voice replied.  
The name seemed familiar, but Anita didn't think much of it. She rose to a sitting position, rubbing her aching chest. Fratley and Quina were still talking, but she wasn't focusing on it. The pain was dulling her senses.  
"Here."  
Puck's voice seemed faraway, but she felt something cold being held against one of her hands. Slowly Anita felt the cold object. It felt smooth and cold. She grasped it, feeling its shape. It seemed round. She held it to her nose and sniffed it. An odd smell came to her.  
"It's a Potion," Puck said.  
Though unsure of what a Potion was, Anita tilted the flask. A cool liquid entered her mouth. It had an odd taste, but it was not so bad as to make her gag. Anita quickly swallowed the liquid. At first she felt nothing, but then she suddenly felt extremely light. She dropped the flask and soon felt it in her lap. She felt warmth, then heard soft music, and suddenly the pain in her chest was replaced with only a slight ache.  
"What was that?" Anita asked.  
"I already told you, a Potion. It healed you," Puck repeated.  
"Do you have any more?" Fratley asked.  
"No. That was my only one," Puck replied.  
"Damn," Fratley muttered.  
"I hungry! You have yummy-yummies?" Quina asked.  
"No, we don't have food! Go away!" Puck shouted.  
"How am I supposed to move?" Fratley wailed. "We're going to be stuck in the middle of a desert with a Qu!"  
"I guess Anita will have to carry you," Puck said teasingly.  
Hearing these words, Anita slowly rose to her feet. She sniffed the air, and detected Fratley's scent. She heard his voice, and walked in that direction, sniffing the air. His scent soon was the strongest of all, though his voice had left. Anita knelt down and felt for Fratley. She soon felt fur. She continued to feel it, and concluded to have found Fratley's nose. She continued feeling, soon passing to his neck, then his shoulders, then his arms. She felt his body, down to his legs, where she felt him wince. After a few more seconds, Anita had concluded what she must do. She re-felt for Fratley's shoulders with one hand, then found his knees. She then scooped him into her arms with no problems.  
"Wow," Puck said with admiration. "I didn't mean it, but you did that with no problems."  
"You don't have to carry me," Fratley said.  
"You're not heavy," Anita replied.  
"Well, I guess we should figure out where to go," Puck said, and Anita heard something shift in the sand. "How about that way?"  
"Puck, she's blind, remember? She can't see where you're pointing," Fratley groaned.  
"Oops, forgot," Puck muttered. He then said in a louder voice. "We're going east, okay?"  
Anita nodded.  
"Can I come?" Quina asked.  
"No," Puck snapped.  
"He's going to follow anyway," Fratley moaned.  
"All right. Hut, hut, everyone!" Puck shouted.  
Anita heard something scrape against sand, and she felt slight vibrations. She began to follow these vibrations eastward. Behind her, she felt heavier vibrations, and concluded them to be Quina.  
"What a party," Fratley muttered. "The Prince, a Qu, a memoryless Dragon Warrior, and a blind Burmecian. We're going to be a laughing stock of the world."  
"We're alive, and that's all that should matter," Anita announced. "Quit complaining. You should be happy, Fratley. Happy to be alive."  
Fratley was silent. In fact, the world suddenly seemed silent. Anita could only hear what she assumed to be sand shifting, and she could only feel the vibrations of footsteps. She suppressed a sigh. It seemed that this walk would be boring.  
But at least you're alive, Anita reminded herself firmly.  
Sad thoughts came to Anita. She remembered all the people who died, and she remembered Din. He had died saving her. He hadn't cared about his life. It was hers he had been concerned about. Then all the other Burmecians, some Anita didn't know. They had died saving people like her. They had died only to help innocents.  
The Dragon Warriors. Were they gone? Anita sighed. She wished she knew the answers. She wished someone else were here.  
She suddenly missed Din.  
  
"All right, break time," Puck announced four hours later.  
Anita had been feeling soft grasses beneath her feet for two hours. She was relieved to know they would take a break. Fratley had been getting heavy. She felt the slight vibrations from something dropping to the ground. She sniffed the air, and smelled wood. She walked over to the smell and placed Fratley carefully on the ground.  
"Wish we had food," Puck muttered.  
"I get some!" Quina announced, and Anita felt vibrations within the ground.  
"Find some?" Puck asked with confusion. "Oh well, at least he's gone. I'm going to search for some flint an' stuff. Anita, stay here, 'K?"  
Anita nodded and sat down. She felt the ground, and felt soft grass. She moved her hand along the ground until she felt something solid yet rough. She concluded it to be wood. She followed the wood until she met air. She then retreated her hand.  
"A fireplace," Fratley said quietly. "Except it has no fire."  
An inhuman scream came from the distance. Anita turned her head slightly in the direction it seemed to come from and sniffed the air. She then stiffened.  
"A monster!" she declared.  
"I heard it, but I don't see it," Fratley replied.  
Anita sniffed the air again. The scent of the monster came again. She then sniffed the air near Fratley. She quickly compared the strength of the two scents.  
"It's close," she said.  
"How do you know?" Fratley asked.  
"Its scent is fairly strong."  
The inhuman scream came again, and this time Anita scrambled to her feet. The scream was much closer. She sniffed the air, only to find the scent was closer too. She soon felt vibrations within the ground - heavy vibrations, with a steady one-two-three-four rhythm.  
"It's coming," Anita announced.  
"From where? I can't see it. Damn you, Puck, for stopping in the darkness!" Fratley cursed.  
"It's dark?" Anita asked.  
One two three four.  
"Very dark. My eyes don't want to work," Fratley said.  
"Then stop using your eyes," Anita commanded. The vibrations kept getting closer.  
"What?"  
One two three four.  
"Stop using your eyes!" Anita repeated. "Use your other senses! Pretend you're me."  
One two three four.  
The inhuman scream came once more. Anita immediately turned toward it. She held out her hand, and was shocked when she felt warm air push against it. She heard a snort before feeling this warm air.  
"Fratley?" Anita managed to breathe.  
"Yes?" Fratley asked.  
"The monster is in front of me," Anita squeaked.  
The monster's next scream made Anita's ears ring. She kept her hand out, and felt something push against it. She felt warm breath in her face.  
"I see it," Fratley announced. "Stay perfectly still. Don't move."  
Anita didn't plan on moving. She was frozen with the fear of a monster right in front of her. She could still feel it breathing on her, and she could still feel something furry push against her hand. She assumed it was the monster. Behind her, she heard something shift. She heard something scrape against the ground, and she assumed this to be metal. She felt slight vibrations behind her, and she heard the monster snarl.  
"Fratley?" Anita asked.  
Suddenly she felt a rush of air, and she heard something rip. The monster let out an angry scream. Anita then felt another rush of air, and she heard flesh hit flesh. She felt a vibration as someone hit the ground. She then felt something hit her hard in the face. Something sharp dug into her face and ripped at her face. Anita let out a startled scream as she fell onto her back.  
Anita felt a rush of air, then a rush of heat that made her right cheek sting. She felt something slam into her stomach, with something sharp digging into it. She then felt it pull away suddenly, slashing her. Anita yelped with pain while the monster roared with pain. Anita scrambled to her feet and ran ahead. She tripped over the fireplace she understood Puck had set up. She slammed into the ground. Behind her, the monster screamed and she heard something cut open flesh.  
One two three four. Vibrations traveled through the ground, and they seemed to indicate something leaving. Slowly Anita lifted her face and sniffed the air. The smell of the monster lingered, but it was slowly becoming faint. She could smell blood, however, and she felt a warm fluid sliding down her face. She soon felt the odd, abnormal one vibration that came from a person limping.  
"Are you all right?" Fratley asked, and his voice was close by. "You're bleeding."  
"How did you do that? Your leg is broken," Anita gasped, rising into a sitting position.  
There was a brief silence. Anita could feel vibrations coming from the distance. Something was returning. But the one-two, one-two vibrations came from a two-legged creature, not a four-legged monster.  
"I had to," Fratley said quietly. "The monster would've eaten you if I hadn't moved. It was painful, but a small price to pay. Here."  
Anita felt something soft being held against her nose. She took it and felt it. It seemed to be a cloth. Anita wiped at the warm fluid on her face until she could no longer feel any. Now the cloth was warm and soaked.  
"Your stomach feel all right?" Fratley asked.  
Anita nodded. She had felt a little warm fluid near her stomach, but not much. The vibrations were becoming rougher, and therefore the creature was coming closer. Anita sniffed the air nervously, but quickly relaxed when Quina's smell came to her nostrils. Puck's scent was also nearby, but she couldn't feel the vibrations from his walk.  
"Quina?" Fratley asked.  
"Yes?" Quina's voice replied.  
"Oh, so it is you," Fratley said.  
"I brought food!" Quina announced proudly.  
Anita heard something drop to the ground. She rose to her feet and walked over to the location of the sound. She sniffed near the ground, feeling it with her hand, and soon felt something. She felt the material, and concluded it to be a basket.  
"Where did you get this?" Anita asked.  
"I carry everything you need for food!" Quina announced proudly.  
Anita felt the insides of the basket. She felt something round and smooth. She picked the object up and sniffed it. It smelled like a fruit, and Anita began to eat it.  
"You like fruit?" Quina asked. "That good!"  
  
"What are you all talking about?"  
Anita had been so busy eating she hadn't heard Puck arrive. She did, however, hear a soft clink, soon followed by a soft roar. Soon, Anita felt slight heat.  
"You got a fire started?" Anita guessed.  
"Yep," Puck replied proudly. "No monsters should bug us now."  
  
"That's good," Fratley muttered. "I'm in no condition to fight."  
"I fight!" Quina offered.  
"No," Puck replied.  
"He may be some use as a guard," Anita pointed out after swallowing some of the fruit. "Let him try."  
"I see her point," Fratley commented. "Quina, you can be guard."  
"Okay!" Quina said happily.  
Anita finished eating the fruit. She had no more appetite, however. The pain in her stomach came from loneliness, not a need for food. She didn't know Quina at all, so he was no use for company. Fratley had changed drastically due to memory loss, so he offered no comfort. As for Puck. Puck never offered company. He was only annoying to most people.  
Suppressing a sigh, Anita sniffed the air, and caught the scent of the fire. She moved in the direction of the scent, and soon found warmth. She curled up near the fire and closed her eyes. Though she had planned on feigning sleep, she soon found it wasn't need as her mind drifted into a world of dreams.  
  
The smells of soot, cooked meat, and flowers were the first things to come to Anita's nostrils when Puck shook her awake.  
"Quina caught some meat last night," Puck announced sleepily. "Would tell you what it is but it'd make you throw up so I won't say."  
Anita slowly rose into a sitting position. She felt something warm being held near her hand. She took the item, sniffed it, and discovered it to be meat. Anita began to eat slowly. She could hear the rustling of grasses as the rest of the party evidently stirred. Anita ate the meat slowly, listening attentively for sudden sounds or vibrations.  
"Today I'm sure we'll reach Lindblum," Puck announced.  
"But don't we have a while to go?" Fratley asked.  
"We'll make it. You just watch," Puck retorted.  
"I'll be watching," Fratley replied.  
Silence followed. Anita had finished the meat, and she put the remaining bone aside.  
"Anyone have water?" Anita asked.  
Anita heard something hit the ground near her. She felt for it, and soon picked it up. Careful feeling proved it to be a water flask. Anita felt for the top, and slowly opened it. She then took a long drink, closed the water flask, and put it aside. The silence that continued was getting uncomfortable, and Anita managed not to sigh.  
"All right, in two minutes we leave," Puck suddenly announced.  
  
Within two minutes, the party was on the move.  
  
"All right, let's break."  
Anita collapsed to the ground. She had been lucky enough to hand Fratley over to Quina an hour before, but that didn't mean she wasn't exhausted. Judging by the other vibrations she felt, she wasn't the only one exhausted.  
"It's noon," Fratley muttered. "And I see Lindblum."  
"We'll be there by evening!" Puck announced.  
"How can you be so sure?" Fratley asked.  
"Oh, you'll see. Hey, Anita, you okay?" Puck asked.  
"Tired," Anita replied.  
"You look pretty silly lying on your back like that," Puck told her.  
"I don't care," Anita said with a sigh. "I can't see myself anyway."  
"Good point," Puck muttered softly.  
There was soft silence. Anita sighed, sick of silence.  
"What's Lindblum like?" Anita asked.  
"Oh, it's really big! And the architecture is really something to see! And the airships-" Puck began.  
"Puck, in my terms, please," Anita interrupted.  
"Oh. Yeah, sorry," Puck muttered. He took a deep breath. "Well, there is a lot of noise. The airships are really noisy. You've probably never heard them before so they may be a surprise. Oh, and the food smells really good! And thankfully it tastes as good as it smells. There are thousands of restaurants. The people are fairly nice, too. They try to help you. Well, most of them. They are all really different too. They all have funny accents and I bet they smell pretty weird too."  
Anita was trying to imagine thousands of different smells.  
"It sounds really confusing," Anita commented.  
Puck laughed. "Newcomers always get lost."  
"I hope I don't," Anita replied.  
"I wonder if the Regent will even let you explore," Puck commented thoughtfully. "He's really nice to all newcomers. He may not let you explore for your sake."  
  
"Oh, it's not that I don't want to explore. I don't want to get lost. I want to smell lots of smells," Anita immediately said. "Burmecia didn't have variety. All the smells on this crazy journey. Are you saying that I will smell many more at Lindblum?"  
  
"Mmmm. Yes, lots more!" Puck replied after some thought.  
"Wow," Anita said, surprised. "That's a lot to smell."  
"It's a lot to see, too," Puck replied. "You don't know what you're missing."  
"You're right," Anita said, but her voice held no regret. It was neutral. "I don't."  
"I feel bad for people like you," Puck said.  
"I don't need your sympathy," Anita replied. "I'm fine."  
As Anita said this she rose to a sitting position, and looked in the general direction Puck's voice had been traveling from.  
"How do you know I'm here?" Puck asked.  
"I don't," Anita replied. "I just know your voice is coming from there."  
"Well, you've found me. You're staring straight at me," Puck said. "It's spooky."  
"I didn't mean to spook you," Anita said in apology. She then turned her head away, not knowing what she was looking at now.  
"Hello," Fratley said, and his voice traveled from the direction Anita's head was facing.  
"You aren't spooked, are you?" Anita asked, knowing Fratley was there.  
"Not at all," Fratley replied, and Anita heard his smile.  
"All right, all right, break's over," Puck said. "Time to get to Lindblum!"  
"I feel silly making a request, but. Could you carry me, Anita? Quina's not exactly pleasant, his breath in particular," Fratley said.  
Anita couldn't help but laugh.  
"Oh fine. Your wish is my command," Anita replied.  
Within a minute, Anita had picked up Fratley. Feeling rough vibrations in the ground, Anita concluded that Quina had already started off. Anita quickly headed in the direction the vibrations came from. Behind her, Anita could feel softer vibrations from Puck.  
"I'm bored," Fratley muttered. "I think I'll try to explain something to you."  
"What?" Anita asked.  
"Colors," Fratley replied.  
"Colors?" Anita repeated.  
"Colors," Fratley answered, and Anita could feel his head shifting in what she presumed to be a nod. "You know the name of the color you always see constantly? It's called black."  
"Black? People say lots of things are black. Why do they feel sorry for me when they see it too?" Anita asked, confused.  
"Because you only see black. You don't see blues or purples or anything else. People don't like to think about just seeing black. Those who have become like you after being able to see usually go mad," Fratley replied. "Now, if you take black and make it as bright as you can, you get white."  
"White?" Anita asked. "Bright? Fratley, I don't understand. What's bright?"  
"Bright is making something lighter," Fratley explained.  
"But what's 'lighter'?" Anita asked with extreme confusion.  
"Well," Fratley began, now as confused as Anita was. "It's."  
Fratley was silent as he tried to figure out how to explain white. He then sighed with defeat.  
"I give up," he said.  
"Well, I know black," Anita said with encouragement. "That's pretty good."  
"I wish you could know what colors are," Fratley muttered. "They are so pretty."  
"It's okay," Anita told him. "Smells are just as pretty."  
"Smells? How can smells be pretty?" Fratley asked.  
"Try closing your eyes and sniffing the world, and you'll see," Anita replied.  
Silence soon came.  
  
"Lindblum ho!" Puck suddenly shouted after a few good hours of walking.  
"That's Lindblum, all right," Fratley said. "I'm surprised I remember it."  
The vibrations in the ground had ceased, but now Anita felt soft vibrations coming toward her. Someone was approaching.  
"Welcome to Lindblum," said a new voice. "Regent Cid is currently accepting all Burmecian immigrants. Please follow me."  
"What about the Qu?" Puck asked.  
"The Qu is welcome to enter," the voice said. "Follow me, please."  
Anita followed the vibrations of the others, and soon she felt smooth ground under her. She sniffed the air, and was overwhelmed by so many different scents she couldn't separate any of them. As they continued walking, she heard a massive roar, and felt a rush of wind. She sniffed the air, only to find more scents. She heard a babble of voices rise above the roar, and another rush of wind came to her.  
"Oh my," she whispered.  
"I was right, wasn't I?" Puck asked, and Anita heard his grin. "Welcome to Lindblum, Anita!"  
  
--------- *gasps* I actually updated! Heh, I thought it'd be interesting to have Quina around ;) Anyway, so they all reached Lindblum! I'm thinking of continuing this story to Anita's experience in Lindblum. Tell me your opinion! Thank you!  
  
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, events, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix. 


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